Antoniano - On the Christian and Political Education of Children

Christian education of children

Silvio Antoniano

Italian Library

2005

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THREE BOOKS OF THE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OF THE CHILDREN, WRITTEN BY M. SILVIO ANTONIANO, AT THE INSTANCE OF MONSIG. ILLUSTRISS. CARDINAL OF S. PRASSEDE, ARCHBISHOP OF MILAN. IN VERONA, MDLXXXIIII. APPRESSO SEBASTIANO DALLE DONNE, ET GIROLAMO STRINGARI, COMPAGNI. BY PERMISSION OF THE SUPERIORS.

[Dedication].

FROM THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS AND REVEREND LORD AND MY MOST RESPECTED PATRON MONSIG. CARLO BORROMEO CARDINAL OF S. PRASSEDE.

The City of Milan has much to thank the Lord (Illustriss. et Reverendiss. Monsignor) for having granted V. S. Illustrious as its Pastor, and sure guide, and together with all the neighbouring peoples, or rather all Italy, or rather the whole Church of God, that he deigned in these calamitous times, to provide it with such a minister, who was like an incentive to all the other Pastors to make him exercise with diligence the pastoral office, and who at the same time brought ornament to his militant Church, granting it so many graces, and giving it so much virtue, that it could be an example, and a rule of good living to everyone: Many foreigners from distant lands came to see the marvellous order of the great house of the wise King Solomon; and finally the prudent Queen Sheba, from the far corners of the East was drawn by the fame of her wisdom: and when she had reasoned with him at length, and had resolved all her doubts, considering the order of her ministers, and the ornaments of her royal palace, she was so greatly amazed, that she almost came out of herself exclaiming: I have heard great things about you, but what I have heard, compared to what I have seen, can be said to have been nothing: blessed are those servants who are worthy to be in your presence. It is no wonder, if those who come to Milan from different parts, having seen and understood the wisdom that Your Illustriousness shows in the government of your Church, and the holy institutions, with which you lead the flock to Christian perfection, to your faith and care, claim to find more in effect, than what they have heard reasoning. And what increases the wonder is that not only she procures the good and the health of her people, but she is always thinking, and investigating how she can help the needs of others, and she is not content that her Church alone feels the benefit of her wise government, but in order to imitate as much as she can the nature of God, she tries to communicate her graces to others, and to spread her gifts to all. Therefore, considering that with her great prudence accompanied by true and sincere piety, how much advantage it could be to understand what Christian education is, and how much health it could bring to fathers and children, and how much it was necessary for the good government of the City, and how much consolation it gives to the people (since the Devil does not triumph more than anything else, Nor does he gain more than from the negligence of the fathers in the government of their children, putting more thought and care into the government of wild animals, in the worship of the fields, in reclaiming the estates, in the buildings, and in the ornaments of the garments, than in the education of the children; Wherefore so much misery is born in the world, and people live with so little fear, and with so much offence to God, and so many fathers find themselves disconsolate, and so many mothers afflicted that it would be a long and tedious task to narrate it), she judged that it must be something above all useful, if one could find one who would deal with this matter, and reduce it to precepts, and with good order teach the way of instructing children. And knowing very well the lively intellect, and the great learning, together with the Christian piety, of the very Reverend Messer Silvio Antoniano, judging him to be very apt for this business, she asked him to help the need of this century for such instruction for the fathers of families, by writing a book of Christian education. Which he understood, because of the great reverence and devotion that he has for Your Illustriousness. Most Illustrious H.H., knowing that this was a work of great charity, he willingly undertook the undertaking, which he happily carried out to its end. Now finding this work in Antonianos hands, and (as he is most humble) not trusting in himself, he wanted, before it was seen in public, to be examined well by judicious men, among whom he judged that the Most Reverend Monsignor of Verona was most attentive to this; since his sure doctrine was well known to him, he knew that with the perspicacity of his intellect, he would have been able to judge very well, what the Christian customs should be, and of what virtues his children should be instructed, and as one who has much experience in public governments, it would have been easy for him to determine what the life of a Citizen of the Christian Republic should be, he also considered that Monsignor Reverend Verona, as the one who has the most experience in public governments, would have been easy to determine what the life of a Citizen of the Christian Republic should be. Reverend of Verona, because he is bound to Your Most Illustriousness by a knot of holy friendship, and because of the reverence he bears you, would have had the same desire to help the world by this most effective means. Therefore, trusting in the paternal affection that the Bishop has always shown him, as he is wont to embrace and favour all men of letters and the good servants of God, he sent him the treatise that he had written on Christian education, begging Most Reverend H.H. to take the trouble to read the book, and then to notify him of his opinion. He did so very courteously, and not only did he content himself with reading it, but he wanted it to be seen by very learned people, all of whom, conforming to the opinion of Most Reverend H.H. judged the work to be most useful, full of varied erudition, of serious sentences, of illustrious examples, written with great perspicuity, and with admirable piety, and zeal for the honor of God, and the health of souls. And because Monsig. Reverendiss. was forced to leave Verona, sent by N. S. to visit the Church of Padua, and of Vicenza (finding myself at the present time in this City with the obedience of my superiors, for some honourable, and convenient occasions, with the wish however as soon as possible to be allowed to return to my Roman Province, in order to be able there the rest of the life that is left to me, since I am still in charge of years, to serve God) desiring also that the work be published, he was content to order me to take care of having it printed, and at the same time that I should send it to Your Illustriousness as a departure. Your Illustriousness as a work that has originated from you, and as the fruit of your zealous desires. And I remember how many favours she did me, and how many signs of love she showed me when she deigned to call me to preach her Church, and having then clearly known that she keeps a vivid memory of me, because of the great devotion that I have always brought to her singular goodness, she received this as a signalled favour, since it gives me the opportunity to make you reverence, and by this means to remind you of my service, and I did it all the more willingly, since I judged that these labours of the Antonian, must be most fruitful, and most grateful to the world, and at the same time to obey and satisfy Monsig. Reverend of Verona, who for consolation, and for the satisfaction of V. S. Illustrissississ. and for the profit that will come to the souls has wanted that this worthy work be sent in light.

Plutharco wrote of the education of children a very grateful little work, and again the Illustrississ. et Reverend Cardinal Sadoleto good memory a very elegant, and learned book on the same subject, but no one really (if I am not mistaken) has treated it more copiously, nor with more sentences, nor come more to the detail, and to teaching more useful things, than the composer of this book, who, with the salt of Christian wisdom, has seasoned the whole work, reducing it to practice, and introduced this most useful doctrine into the houses of simple and idiotic people, and has at the same time expressed the juice of the whole Theology concerning good morals, called Theologia prattica or morale. And at the same time he has facilitated in a way the Roman Catechism, a book so useful, as well as learned and pious, that it can easily be enjoyed and understood by private and simple people. For this great benefit, all those who will read this book, will be obliged to Your Illustriousness who urged the author to write it, who composed it, and ordered it with great judgement, because it is seen that it is always improving, and saying things which are more useful, and more delightful, the more it reaches its end. Therefore, if the whole volume is very fruitful, the third book is so delightful and useful, that one cannot desire more, nor can one teach more appropriate things for the education of children, in which order, one discovers the art of the author, who has very ingeniously expressed the true way of teaching, beginning with the most universal things, as he does in the first book, and then coming from hand to hand to the particular things. And this was his own way, and easy, because of his knowledge of many kinds of letters and sciences, because of the practice he has always had with great people, and much more because of his devotion and Christian piety, because of the innocence of his life, and because he frequently offers to God sacrifices, and prayers as a good Priest, so that he has been able to implore the grace of explicating the truth, so that this treatise of his, will be able to help as much as to delight and to delight as much as to help. To which one could very conveniently accompany that which S. Thomaso wrote on the erudition of Princes, different from another that he composed on the rule of Princes. Which I have reduced to the vernacular, because Monsig. I have reduced it to the vernacular language, because the Most Reverend Bishop of Verona, has wished that it be read by those who are born Princes, or true who must be proposed to public governments, and perhaps with the grace of God, it could one day be printed, as he wished this to be printed, for the benefit of the noble City of Venice, his homeland, and for the benefit of his beloved Veronese. Therefore, as long as you are waiting to be seen, Your Illustriousness deigns to receive this work, which I in the name of the Reverend Messer Silvio Antoniano, your dear servant, offer you. And since with your authority you have given spirit and strength to the author to make such a perfect work, receive it as your own. And I will not fail to do so (as each one is obliged, and I in particular will pray to Our Lord God that He deigns to preserve for a long time V.S. Illustrississ. for the ornament of his Church, so that he may be able to use such a noble instrument, as he has done and continues to do, to instruct and teach Christian piety, not only in the ecclesiastical and secular state of Milan, and of all Italy, but also outside Italy, and in the parts where the catholic truth is contested, as it does at the present time, when by means of his preaching, and by the example of his life the name of God has been so glorified in the countries of the Griffins, and the holy Roman Catholic Church exalted, and remaining desirous to serve it, I kiss you with all my heart. I kiss your hands with all reverence. From Verona the first of Novemb. M D LXXXIII. Of V.S. Illustriss. et Reverendiss. Humiliss. et devotiss. ser. F. Alessio Figliucci de lord. dePredic.